Tryon Musket for Republic of Texas Army

Shortly after gaining independence in 1836, the Republic of Texas worked to build a professional army from the rag tag band of volunteers that had fought the Revolution.

President Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of Texas, ordered 1,500 Tryon muskets like this one from the Tryon Company of Philadelphia to supply this army. The first half of the order, roughly 860 muskets, arrived in 1840 and totaled more than $17,000—no small sum in the 19th century.